Recently, the topic of balancing individual activities with the rest of our lives came up in my marriage, as I imagine it does in most marriages. Especially when we have been single for a while and enter into marriage a little later, it can be an adjustment looking at the activities that have been a part of our lives and determining what will continue to be a part of our lives and what needs some modification at least.

As the first signs of Spring are starting to be seen with the beginning of March, windows are being opened for some fresh air and thoughts of dusting, de-cluttering, organizing and Spring cleaning are not far behind.

My husband has a conference in San Diego this week, so it was a good opportunity for the family to get a little weekend break beforehand from the winter doldrums in Denver. The recent snow had kept us cooped up, so it was refreshing to see a different change of scene, especially one that is very Spring-like with all its greenery and flowers.

Delicious, creamy, and healthy dressing for salads or other items. Ingredients are approximate based on preference:

By the age of three, about 85% of the brain has developed. Those are crucial years. I’ve taught at the preschool level and learned first-hand how little value those years have been given. There should be plenty of funding and support for these years.

I like to read about ways to improve myself, including the area of parenting. In the parenting world, building the self-esteem of my preteen son and one-year-old daughter is important to me. Here are some points I’ve gleaned:

My adorable daughter, Maya, turned one on February 8. We spread out her birthday celebration, doing different activities to accommodate her schedule. I am sharing some photos of this time period.

One of the nicest collection of words on living life is by Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements. I keep the summary of the agreements in sight near my desk. I am sharing this summary verbatim. It wouldn’t hurt to read these agreements at the start of our days.

Today is my daughter’s 1st birthday! In celebration, or rather, in poor planning, we had scheduled her one year doctor’s appointment this morning. She had a few vaccinations at the doctor’s appointment and then we were sent nearby for a blood-draw. We frantically tried to use her numbing ointment wherever we were told she would be pricked, but there seemed to be a disconnect between where we were told her blood-draw would be and where it ended up, so she didn’t have the ointment in the right place.

This is an oldie but still relevant, with the start of 2010:

1. Take into account that great love and great achievement involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.